The Routine
by That-geek-in-a-hat
Summary: The kids are away so a new routine starts between the parents left behind. Sarah Jane/Alan pairing. Hope you like it


**The Routine**

 **Rating: T**

 **Pairing: Sarah Jane/Alan**

 **Summary: Clyde, Maria and Luke are on a school trip, which means Sarah Jane and Alan have time to get to know one another a little better.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing**

 **Authors note: I don't know if there are lots of Alan/Sarah Jane shippers but if there are please review so I know someone is reading. It doesn't have to be long, it could be a quick: 'Good Job' or 'Write More'**

 **Thank you**

 **That Geek**

 **-SJA-**

The children were gone, nobody was in danger and Mr Smith was his usual cheery self. Sarah Jane was alone in her attic wondering what she was supposed to do with her time. What did she used to do with her time, before Luke?

"Sarah Jane I am detecting a signal at the door" Mr Smith informed his owner. She left the attic smiling, Mr Smith had a talent for taking simple human task and transforming them into an elaborate ceremony.

At the door was Alan. He had dirt on his face and clothes, his boyish grin plastered his face.

"Hello. I'm not bothering you" he greeted as she moved aside closing the door behind him.

"No, it's pretty calm without three teenagers about." She smiled as they stood awkwardly in the large hallway.

"That is true, however it's given me peace to get the garden done" he rubbed his hands together. They stood staring at each other, it was strange, Sarah Jane was close with Maria but she had never been in the presence of Alan for this long without some looming battle over herself or them.

"Did you want some company or..." She tailed off the end of her sentence unsure about his arrival

"Oh right, sorry. My hot water is on the blink and well I don't really know anyone else on the street so can I use yours" he explained. She of course said yes and walked him up to the bathroom, it was small but bright, something he hadn't expected. She told him he could use the adjacent room to change if the bathroom was too small.

"Well, when you're done come up to the attic. We can have a tea" she exited and ran back to her precious attic. Suddenly with the feeling to get some work done, anything to get images of a man 2 decades younger than her, in her home, naked under the shower.

She waited a while, staring blankly at her laptop before going down to fetch tea and biscuits. As she dashed passed the bathroom she heard the shower on and continued down the stairs. She performed the typically British ritual of tea making slowly, big mistake, as she mused about her own garden.

Taking the tray of tea and biscuits upstairs, she rounded the corner of the stairs to come face to face with Alan. They both stared at each other, Sarah Jane mentally screaming at herself. Alan wondered shamelessly in his head what an older woman would be like.

The water droplets trickled down his chest, making the blue towel around his waist dampen. It could have been a good few minutes before both looked away and went in their respective directions.

Upon entering the spare room Alan realized his problem, how was he supposed to face this woman now. His daughter practically lived in her house, this was going to be impossible. Maybe if she had some alien gizmo to bleach his brain of any images he'd be alright.

Sarah Jane practically run to the attic kicking the door shut with her foot. She leant against the door, her eyes tightly shut. How was she ever going to look Maria in the eye knowing what she thought of the young girl's father? Placing the tray down she berated herself, she was old enough to be his mother for Christ sake. She looked round the attic, did she have some kind of brain bleach?

-SJA-

When he came up for tea they did not talk. They looked at the gizmos, the window, the chair, even the chimney breast that concealed Mr Smith, anything but each other. However as clichéd as it was they reached down for a biscuit and their hands touched.

"This is silly" Sarah Jane commented as they jumped at the touch "we are both adults, we can talk like normal people." She lay back on the red couch.

"Your right. It's like that movie when Harry met Sally. We could do that" she raised an eye brow. "Watch a movie I mean, It would work we'd have something to talk about instead of staring at dust" without thinking he grabbed her hand and pulled her from the attic.

-SJA-

As it goes the movie thing was a great idea. They settled on an action believing it would rid them of any lingering tensions. They planned to watch a movie each night the children were away. On the first night they sat on opposite ends of her living room couch, afterwards talking about the movie and then drifting easily onto his gardening and then her garden, the clock chimed 11. They laughed casually hitting each other's arm, she led him to the door and he kissed her cheek.

On the second night he brought food, they still sat on opposite ends but by the end were beside each other. Once again they sat and talked about the movie, but this time it was less awkward more flirtatious, they drifted from the movie to their children, exchanging stories of movie experiences.

"She's always loved movies. When her favourite came on she'd press hands against the TV screen. When someone died it would take me days to convince her it wasn't real." Alan mused, remembering the first character death Maria had witnessed.

"Well at least you got a level of cute, Luke doesn't understand the point of movies. When Clyde brought a stack over Luke sat and criticised their credibility. However it was a little funny when Clyde turned round and asked how fighting aliens was a credible thing to do every day. That made him quiet" she laughed taking a sip of her white wine, which Alan had brought over. He left at 11, kissing her cheek like the previous night.

On the third night things changed. Sarah Jane brought the food, Alan the movie. She had been working on big article and was already in her dressing gown when he arrived.

"Is this a pajamas party now?" He teased her in the hall

"I haven't got any pajamas on so I guess not" she hadn't meant to sound so flirty but then again maybe part of her did. She slipped upstairs as he set up the film: horror.

He had laid out snacks, poured the wine and made himself comfortable on her couch. The movie was, scary. Sarah Jane was not a typically scared woman but jumpy things caught her by surprise she had practically leapt into Alan's arms half way through and neither had let go. The credits rolled and they were both asleep.

The 11 o'clock chime woke them both. It startled them and they bumped heads, in the split second confusion blue met brown, there was no hesitation when he meant down and kissed her. She kissed him back. He left quickly without his usual peck on the cheek. She was left on the couch finger tips poised on her lips.

On the fourth night they got more adventurous. Choosing a rom-com, there was wine which was red instead of the usual white. By the midpoint of the movie she was in his arms, by the end they were having, what kids called a 'make out' session. He left at midnight.

The fifth night there was no watching a film pretense. He entered her house locked the door and wrapped his arms around her. She kissed him back, they weren't concentrating on their destination so backs were smashed into walls several times. Various objects being knocked onto the floor. They crashed onto the couch, forgetting the children would be home by 9 the following morning.

Something felt different. Maria entered her house Luke and Clyde in tow. She dumped her bags at the door. The three padded through to the living room.

"Dad!" She shouted; no reply.

"Maybe he took a short break" Luke suggested as she placed her bag on the dining table.

"He would have told me and made sure he was back in time for today" she looked down.

"Well get mum to find him." Luke piped up as he walked to the door. The trio crossed the road and found the door locked, it wasn't unusual people locked their doors, but the trio would have assumed the door open for their return. Creeping round to the window they were more confused by the drawn curtains.

"Sarah Jane always has those open"

"This is getting weird, Sarah Jane is a morning person, she woke us up at seven on that sleepover. Remember." Clyde put both his hands up

"You don't think its aliens, do you?" Maria lowered her voice. The trio let themselves in and went straight for the attic, all three missing the mess in the hallway.

"Mr Smith I need you" Luke opened the super computer.

"Good morning Luke, I trust your trip was educational" the computer greeted.

"Totally was. Now to business, Mr Jackson and Sarah Jane are missing has there been any alien activity while we were away" Clyde asked sitting down on the steps.

"I shall have to update my data please wait" the computer responded. The three exchanged looks, update? Was this to say he hadn't been turned on in nearly a week? After a minute or so he spoke again. "Sarah Jane is in the house." There was a collective sigh "Mr Jackson is..." The computer paused as he searched for the man, Maria stood anxiously biting her nails. "In the house"

"Who's house?" Maria asked.

"Number 13 Bannerman Road, this house" the three exchanged looks and exited the attic shouting thanks to the recently reformed xylock.

Reaching the bottom they took in the view, it was a mess. Plants, jackets, shoes and boots everywhere. Clyde carefully stepped over it all and pushed at the living room door.

There on the couch were the two missing parents. It was lucky, for the adults dignity at least, that the house had cooled causing the adults to wake during the night. They had been freezing Alan had given her his shirt and held her tightly. So the view that met the teen's eyes, was Sarah Jane and Alan huddled together, wrapped in a large blanket. It looked relatively innocent.

"Should we wake them?" Luke asked in a hushed tone.

"Erm..." Clyde was going to answer but the two adults stirred. Sarah Jane mumbled, her head nuzzling Alan's chest.

"Stop moving" Alan grumbled

"Why are y...I see" she protested but changed mid-sentence. There was a low rumble from Alan and a giggle the children had never heard before. It was going to get mushy very soon.

"Morning" Clyde greeted them, heads whipped round and both adults' paled. Giving awkward smiles with everyone in the room.

"We must have fallen asleep...after the movie finished." He stumbled for words, using his hand he tried to prompt the older woman beside him.

"It's become a routine while you were gone, we've never fallen asleep before though. Must have been a really bad movie" she attempted to laugh the situation off.

"You guys should go make yourselves some breakfast, on you go" Clyde, Maria and Luke exited the room, they exchanged looks then stepped over the mess that hinted movie watching wasn't all that happened last night.

-SJA-

 **Authors note: Well I hope that was okay, I enjoyed writing and I hope you enjoyed reading it. Please let me know what you thought in the reviews.**

 **That-Geek**


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